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In Good Company

September 26, 2014 //
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Every Wednesday morning I eagerly await my subway ride so I can read The New York Times’ Dining Section. First I check the restaurant review, hoping for either a 4-star or 0-star review – the two ends of the spectrum yield the most entertaining writing – and then the latest recipes from Melissa Clark and David Tanis. Rarely am I disappointed and this week was no exception. In fact, I was thrilled to see that the entire section was devoted to homecooking. They pulled out all of the stops, with all of their writers devoting an article and recipe to either a simple cooking technique or style – from vinaigrette to scallops to tarts.

The goal of this blog, since its inception, has always been to provide my readers with unintimidating recipes, organized into meal plans with grocery lists so everyone could see that they can squeeze 30 minutes into their evenings to cook. It’s nice to see that my blog is in the good company of some of my favorite writers and cooks!

Fall's here!

Fall’s here!

Meal #1: Mediterranean Chicken Thighs with Polenta
Meal #2: Lemon Pasta with Roasted Shrimp + Green Salad
Meal #3:Pork Tenderloin with Plums and Red Onion + Corn on the Cob
Meal #4: Salmon with Potatoes in Tomato Sauce

Your grocery list, excluding the usual pantry items:

lettuce – 1 large head
lemons – 2
orange – 1
plums – 4
red onion – 1
white onion – 1
corn – 1 per person
white potatoes – 3/4 lb.
parsley – 1 bunch
linguine – 1 box
polenta – 1 tube
reduced-sodium chicken broth – 1 1/4 cup
diced tomatoes – 2 cans (28 ounces each)
tomato paste – 1 small can
Kalamata olives – 1 cup
red wine vinegar (if you don’t already have it)
bone-in, chicken thighs – 8
pork tenderloin – 1 1/2 lb.
shrimp – 1 1/2 lb.
salmon – 4 (6 ounces each)

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Fennel Compote with Tomatoes, Olives and Fish + Corn on the Cob

September 18, 2014 //
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Fennel Compote with Tomatoes, Olives and Fish
Fish w Fennel and Tomato Compote

This compote would obviously be great on its own, but with some fish, such as stripped bass, halibut or tilapia it is a meal. I actually served the compote with grilled swordfish this week, because swordfish was remarkably on sale, and it was perfect. Just pan sear, roast or grill your fish in olive oil, salt and pepper for several (3-5) minutes per side.

Corn on the Cob

Boil water in a pot, put shucked corn in the water, turn off the heat and put a lid on your pot. Wait 10 minutes or so. Eat with lots of butter, salt and pepper.

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On the Road Again

September 18, 2014 //
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Sorry for the delayed post. I was all set and ready to go last week, but due to a business trip to Omaha, Nebraska I had no time to actually post the meal plan. Anyway, the trip to Omaha went well. Did you know that Omaha is the home of the reuben sandwich and the hometown of Henry Fonda, Marlon Brando, Fred Astaire and of course, the “Wizard of Wall Street” Warren Buffet? To cap off several days of business meetings I got a chance to check out the Omaha Farmers Market last Saturday morning, which was gorgeous. But, here’s a warning – the weather was chilly! If the Midwest is a bellwether than meals full of tomatoes and corn are quickly coming to an end so enjoy them while you can. I certainly am!

Nebraska - home of the Cornhuskers!

Nebraska – home of the Cornhuskers!

Meal #1: Pressed Chicken Thighs with Corn, Scallion and Pepper Saute
Meal #2: Zucchini, Tomato and Feta Bake + Any Protein + Corn on the Cob
Meal #3: Italian “Stir Fry”
Meal #4: Fennel Compote with Tomatoes, Olives and Fish + Corn on the Cob

Your grocery list, excluding the usual pantry items: 

fennel – 1 large or 2 smaller ones
plum tomatoes – 13
red bell pepper – 2 large
red onion – 1
scallions – 1 bunch
zucchini – 2 medium
summer squash – 1
corn – 2 + 1 per person for 2 meals
green or black olives – 1/2 cup
feta – 4 ounces
capers – 1 jar (if you don’t already have them)
pesto – 1 jar (optional)
ricotta cheese – 1 small container (optional)
pasta – 1 box
bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs – 1-2 per person, depending on size
white fish (bass, halibut or tilapia) – 6 ounces per person
whatever protein you decide to make along with meal #2

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Categories Meal Plans

Pressed Chicken Thighs with Corn, Scallion and Pepper Saute

September 18, 2014 //
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Pressed Chicken Thighs with Corn, Scallion and Pepper Saute
Pressed Chicken with Corn, Scallion and Pepper Saute

My inspiration for this dinner came from Martha’s Pressed Chicken with Okra Succotash. I was intrigued by the recipe’s cooking method; how crispy I imagined the chicken would get and how fast it all came together. However, there were a couple of reasons why I didn’t stick to the script, so to speak. For one, it was just the two of us for dinner and a whole chicken seemed like overkill. The second, was because while I love succotash, and don’t even mind okra, I didn’t have either okra or lima beans on hand. So instead I decided to experiment with ingredients that I thought everyone could find at their local market or store. It was delish!

Pressed Chicken Thighs

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (1 or 2 per person, depending on size)
1 TB. olive oil
salt and pepper to season

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl in olive oil. Add chicken, skin side down. Top with enough wax paper to cover the chicken (but not too much that it could be caught by the fire of the stove if you have gas); place another skillet on top; weigh the top pan down with something heavy such as several full cans of tomatoes or, in my case, 8 lb. hand weights.
Weights

Cook chicken until golden, about 5 minutes.
Chicken in Pan

Flip chicken; cook (with wax paper and weighted skillet) until a thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh (without touching bone) registers 165 degrees, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate, reserving pan juices.

Corn, Scallion and Pepper Saute
Corn Saute

1 TB. olive oil
2 ears of corn, shucked
1 bunch of scallions, trimmed and white and light green part sliced thin
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

In the same pan as the chicken, with the reserved juices, add olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add corn, scallions and pepper. Saute for about 3-5 minutes and season with salt and pepper. Serve along with chicken.

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Zucchini, Tomato and Feta Bake + Any Protein + Corn on the Cob

September 18, 2014 //
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Zucchini, Tomato and Feta Bake
Zucchini, Tomato and Feta Bake

This recipe is good year-round since you can usually get decent zucchini and plum tomatoes 12 months of the year, but it is, of course, amazing in the summer/early fall when both are at their peak. Also, it is such a pretty dish and comes out of the oven looking very impressive. This week I made pork chops with it, but steak or fish would be good too.

2 medium zucchinis, sliced
6 plum tomatoes, sliced
4 ounces feta, crumbled
olive oil
dried oregano
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rub the bottom and sides of a baking pan with oil. Line bottom on pan with zucchini, followed by tomatoes, then feta and then drizzle with olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Continue layering until you have used all of the vegetables and cheese. Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the dish is bubbling and you can easily slip a knife into it.

Corn on the Cob

Boil water in a pot, put shucked corn in the water, turn off the heat and put a lid on your pot. Wait 10 minutes or so. Eat with lots of butter, salt and pepper.

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Back to School

September 5, 2014 //
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By the looks of everyone’s Facebook posts most of your kids went back to school this week. Next week Eliza starts a two-day a week, morning preschool program and I gearing up for the excitement and nervousness that starting school will bring – more so for me than for her!

The beginning of the school year means that all of our lives get a lot busier. Along with the daily grind, many of you are probably juggling sports practices and games, music lessons and scout meetings. Finding time to meal plan, grocery shop and cook is even more difficult and ordering pizza is very tempting. I get it, I’m with you too. But, if you can swing it, it is nice to sit down a few nights a week to a home-cooked meal, and I promise you that this week’s meals are quick. I mean really quick. At least three of them can be thrown together in well under 30 minutes. Give it a try and if you’ve got bigger kids, enlist their help to put dinner together – they can use those burgeoning math skills to measure!

Big kids will love chopping (carefully!) all of the ingredients for this quick, delicious Greek Salad

Big kids will love chopping (carefully!) all of the ingredients for this quick, delicious Greek Salad

Meal #1: Grilled Shrimp with Greek Salad + Corn on the Cob
Meal #2: Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri + Cucumber Salad
Meal #3: Caprese-Stuffed Peppers + Steamed Green Beans
Meal #4: Italian Sausage, Panzanella, Corn on the Cob

Your grocery list, excluding the usual pantry items: 

tomatoes – 6
cucumbers – 4
red onions – 2
corn – 2 ears per person
shallot – 1
red pepper – 3
green beans – 1 lb.
basil – 1 bunch
cilantro – 1 large bunch
parsley – 1 bunch
oregano – 1 bunch
jalapeño – 1 (or use hot red pepper flakes)
feta – 2 oz.
mozzarella – 1 large ball
Italian bread – 1 loaf
red wine vinegar (if you don’t already have it)
apple cider vinegar (if you don’t already have it)
kalamata olives – 1 jar (if you don’t already have them)
capers – 1 jar (if you don’t already have them)
Italian sausage – 1 or 2 per person, depending on the size
skirt steak – 1 1/2 lb.
shrimp –  1 1/2 lb.

 

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Grilled Shrimp with Greek Salad and Corn on the Cob

September 5, 2014 //
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Grilled Shrimp with Greek Salad

On the hottest day of the year I wanted the stove on for as little time as possible. Shrimp are great because they cook in about 5 minutes and a greek salad is a perfect accompaniment.

Grilled Shrimp

1 ½ lb. medium or large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 TB. olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Add shrimp to a hot grill pan, saute pan, or grill. Cook shrimp on both sides for 2-3 minutes until pink. Remove from heat.

Greek Salad
Greek Salad

1 large cucumber – peeled and chopped
1 large tomato – chopped
1/2 red onion – thinly sliced
1/2 pepper – chopped
12 kalamata olives – pitted and halved
2 oz. feta
2 TB. olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
pinch of dried oregano
salt and pepper, to taste

Soak the red onion in 2 TB. of red wine vinegar while you prepare the other ingredients (5-10 minutes). Drain and rinse the red onion and toss with the rest of the ingredients.  Let it sit while you prepare the rest of dinner so the flavors come together.

Corn on the cob

Boil water in a pot, put shucked corn in the water, turn off the heat and put a lid on your pot. Wait 10 minutes or so. Eat with lots of butter, salt and pepper.

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Italian Sausage, Panzanella and Corn on the Cob

September 2, 2014 //
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Italian Sausage

You can use pork, chicken, turkey – whatever you prefer. If you have a grill, by all means use it! We don’t, so I broil the sausages for about 10 minutes, turning them over halfway through.

Panzanella (Tomato and Bread Salad)
Tomatoes_web

3 tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
½ red onion, thinly sliced
2 cups of stale Italian bread, cubed
6-8 kalamata olives, halved
1 TB. capers
2 TB. red wine vinegar
4 TB. extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

Mix all of the ingredients together and let sit for about 20 minutes. Add more vinegar, oil, salt or pepper to taste.

Corn on the Cob

Boil water in a pot, put shucked corn in the water, turn off the heat and put a lid on your pot. Wait 10 minutes or so. Eat with lots of butter, salt and pepper.

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Pork Tenderloin with Tomato and Peach Compote and Corn on the Cob

August 27, 2014 //
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Pork Tenderloin with Tomato and Peach Compote

Pork Tenderloin w Peach and Tomato Compote

This is another lovely recipe that you can only make in the summer. Peaches and pork make such a wonderful pairing. This meal reminds me of this favorite, but you get the added addition of tomatoes. The compote would be wonderful with fish as well.

Note: I didn’t have curry powder and it was fine without. I bet a little mixture of cinnamon and chili powder would work well too.

Corn on the cob

Boil water in a pot, put shucked corn in the water, turn off the heat and put a lid on your pot. Wait 10 minutes or so. Eat with lots of butter, salt and pepper.

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It’s not over….

August 25, 2014 //
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‘Til it’s over. Despite the beginning of the school year and the end of the vacation season, summer still has a few weeks left in her. Let’s make the most of it. Food-wise we are at peak season here in the Northeast. And just when summer produce starts to wane we get to enjoy winter squash, apples and brussels sprouts. See, it isn’t that bad!

Once again, I’ve put together a meal plan with four dinners that embrace the last weeks of summer. I hope you aren’t sick of tomatoes and corn yet!

I'm going to miss them when they're gone.

I’m going to miss them when they’re gone.

Meal #1: Chicken Cutlets with Tomato and Basil Salad + Green Beans
Meal #2: Greek Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta + Garlic Bread
Meal #3: Pork Tenderloin with Tomato and Peach Compote + Corn on the Cob
Meal #4: Summer Sauté with Corn

Your grocery list, excluding the usual pantry items:

tomato – 5 lbs. (you have to enjoy them while you can)
peach – 1
red onion – 1
onion – 1
shallot – 5
corn – 8
green beans – 1/2 lb.
basil – 1 bunch
mint – 1 bunch
thyme – 1 bunch (or you can use dried)
ginger – 1 small piece (you can freeze whatever you don’t use)
feta cheese – 4 ounces
eggs – 2
bread – 1 loaf
balsamic vinegar (if you don’t already have it)
flour (if you don’t already have it)
seasoned bread crumbs (if you don’t already have them)
curry powder (optional)
pork tenderloin – 2
Italian sausage – 1 lb.
chicken cutlets – 1 1/2 lb.
shrimp – 1 1/2 lb.

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